'Nova' - 10 Francs - Cheap

Looking For 'Generation-X' Again

Paris:- Anyday from February to April, 1998:-
Regular readers will know that I am searching for the Paris
version of 'Generation-X' and have been doing so for a long
time now.

According to what some of you've written, none of us are
sure what 'Generation-X' is; but I keep plugging away at it
with the hope I will get it pinned down before they hit
fifty - if they haven't already.

The reason behind all this, is for me to do a 'report'
about Paris' 'Generation-X' scene, so that those of you who
feel like 'going crazy' in Paris will know where it's done;
how, when, who and, I suppose, why. The answer to the last
is, 'why not?'

You too may be an old fogy like me. If you are, you just
may have had your own party somewhere, sometime, and if you
did, you will know how important it is to know about these
things, throughout your entire lifetime.

If you didn't make the 'peace and love' scene in the
Haight in 1966, well you just haven't lived. If you weren't
on Cool-aid Acid Trip magical bus, you haven't travelled.
If you managed to miss rock-and-roll hitting the white AM
airwaves in '54 or '55, you missed something. If you were
not 'On the Road' before that, then you will never be hip.
If you don't 'swing,' then I hope the rest home for aged
bopsters you're in has good Muzzak or you have your own
good Walkman and some Benny Goodman tapes.

Fast-forward to the present and then subtract 17 months.
These guys I met, who may have been 'Generation-Xers,' told
me the Paris brand finds out what's going on by reading
'Nova.' These guys - did not look like they read it
themselves; it was something they heard
somewhere.

The April issue of 'Nova,' on sale right
now.

The first thing you will notice when you start to read
'Nova' is that it only costs 10 francs. The second thing
you will notice, is it is printed on paper recycled from
old Ikea boxes. It's got color like other magazines; it's
just not glossy. Ten francs, re-recycled paper; so what?
It's cool.

Before doing the 'first thing,' right when you get off
the jumbo at Roissy, the before-first thing you should do
is buy 'Nova' right in the airport. If you do this, then
you can do the 'first thing' of reading it on the way into
the city. By the time you reach the northern city limits
around Saint-Denis, you may decide staying at the Hotel
Crillon is too uncool - and redirect your taxi elsewhere -
or you may decide you are too uncool for Paris - and just
tell the taxi to dash straight through to Orly, where you
can get a flight out to some sane place.

After you've installed yourself in the Hotel des Bains
in the rue Delambre - one star rooms with two-star decor
and matching suites - take a careful look at 'Nova.' The
current April issue is in three parts - the magazine, its
usual 'Hot Guide' supplement, and an extra supplement,
called 'Quartiers de Nuit.'

Total: 140 pages of 'hot' Paris information, up-to-date,
for a measly ten francs - less than the price of a stand-up
demi. Now take the magazine - the big one - and it starts
with a photo essay. If this doesn't turn you off, turn the
page. The photo essay is followed by a feature, and if you
can read French, it is usually worth reading.

About the French; don't bother with a dictionary. Words
you don't understand probably aren't in it. About the
photos; if they are murky it is probably because they were
taken in the middle of the night -
probably by the driver - because the photographer was
driving. Not all the photos are murky, so don't worry about
this either.

The two supplements included in the
magazine. Ten francs for everything.

The main feature: for April this is titled, 'Mohamed At
Home.' Its subhead is, '340 Kilometres To Find a
Dancehall?' Normally Mohamed doesn't travel 340 kilometres
in a weekend checking out his favorite joints; he did this
for 'Nova' - to produce an existential essay on high life
in the Parisian suburbs. First stage at 19:00: on the road
from Paris to Trappes. 35 kilometres. Last stage: La
Défence to Montmartre, 10 kilometres, at 06:45:
"Paris s'eveille."

As usual, the addresses of the eight-odd places are
included, and the descriptions are more than enough to give
an idea whether it is your scene of not.

This opening feature is followed by the magazine's main
section, which is alphabetical, starting with 'Aube,' which
includes excerpts from Rimbaud's Illuminations.

This occupies three columns and the fourth is reserved
for short items, also in alphabetical order.
'Décadence' is one, and it is even noted that the
word itself is a 'joli mot.' 'Drague' is good; a
double-page table of comparisons by two night dancers, of
various Paris pleasure palaces such as the Buddha-Bar and
La Coupole. La Coupole? Mais oui! This is followed by a
report on the standard nighttime rates charged for mineral
water in various joints. It could have been written for
me.

There are a cluster at the beginning of the alphabet and
then it jumps from 'G' to 'T' for 'Tôt.' This is
followed by 'Z' for 'Zarbi,' which is a full-page
reproduction of a handwritten page by Authur Rimbaud, 'to
celebrate spring.'

The rest of the magazine has fashion, supplied to the
models from places like 'Junk' and 'Xuly-Bët.' No
'Tati' mention this month. Culture comes next, starting
with books, moving on to exhibitions, movies, theatre,
music, more music, more more music, and finally, 'Nova
Playlists.'

These last are important, because Nova has a FM station
- 101.5 - and Paris has every kind of music known to
'world' people under 35. The 'playlists' say what's playing
when, and who does the spiel. For example, Ariel Wizman
does 'Musiques Normales' on Saturdays from 11:00 to 12:00.
Thanks! He'll be spinning 'My Mind Is Like a Plastic Bag'
by the X-Ray Spex sometime during his shift.

If this sounds too much like heavy lit to you, toss away
the magazine and keep the 'Hot Guide.' This is the Paris
program for the month - it gives a daily run-down on what's
happening; so there's never a need to sit in front of the
glotze-box for lack of an idea.

This section also has classified ads in the back, and
colorful ads for dubious activities. The 'Hot Guide' also
begins with a list of old French terms and their new
meanings or uses. Example: "Un kissman," which translates
as, 'un beau gosse, qui se démerde bien.'

This month's 'Quartiers de Nuit' supplement is normally
included inside the magazine, but Paris is on the move, so
it got expanded and printed separately - listing the
attractions of the main hot points of the capital, by
quarters or arrondissements.

After reading, or glancing at Nova for several months,
I've found there are a large number of steady references
and a certain number of 'in' and 'out' items. Aside from
the authorities cracking down on loud places, a number have
their leases expire, while in another street somebody opens
up a new joint with a - possibly - new theme or
ambiance.

Past this door you enter the empire of
'Nova.'

When I called Nova to set up a date for a chat - some
months ago - somebody there decided I should see the head
man of the whole Nova combine. Seeing the editor was all I
wanted, and with April issue, I read that it is his last.
Going into another circle, I suppose.

I don't expect Nova to change much. It mentions a couple
of places in the western eighth and 16th arrondissements,
but local night-life in Paris is mostly populo, and that
means a bit more easterly. There may not be as many taxis
as on the Champs-Elysées, but there's just as many
métro stations.

Remember: Nova - 10 francs, cash. Buy it at the airport
when you arrive. It may be sold-out downtown, and often is.
On second thoughts, Nova may be a bit too fast for the
'Generation-X' crowd - but, heck! - only 10 lousy francs;
it's less than a deuce.